Food Industry Science and Engineering

Head of the Department: Dr. Abdollah Hemmati Souraki
Place and Date of Birth: Shahre-kord city, 1985
Field of Study: Food Industry Science and Engineering – Food Technoligy
Bachelor’s Degree: Isfahan University of Technology, 2007
Master’s Degree: Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, 2010
PhD: Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, 2015

Overview:
The high volume of waste and the lack of optimal use of by-products in the agricultural sector, can be named as one of the current concerns of developing countries. Iran is not an exception, too. In this regards, the discipline of Food Industry and Science Engineering mainly focuses on the Knowledge and technology of converting agricultural, livestock and marine raw materials into products with high added value as well as the storage and packaging conditions. Moreover, the mission of the field is defined as training and educating experts and researchers with managerial, strategic and research abilities in the above mentioned areas. While the Bachelor’s degree offers one comprehensive subfield, there are four different sub-fields in the Master’s level, namely, Food Industry (Food Industry Engineering), Food Chemistry, Food Technology and Food Biotechnology.

Educational Objectives
From educational perspective, the objective of the undergraduate level is the education and training of experts who are capable of working as a production expert, laboratory expert, quality control expert and technical manager in food factories. To be offered a technical manager's license, food factories are required to introduce an expert, educated in this field, as a technical manager to the supervisory institutions such as the General Directorate of Food Supervision affiliated to the Food and Drug Administration of the University of Medical Sciences. A specialized committee confirms the qualification of the experts and issues the required license, accordingly. According to the law, all stages of production, from the preparation of raw materials to the packaging and distribution of a product have to be supervised by the technical manager. Moreover, the import of foods must be based on the advice of the technical manager and the approval of the General Directorate of Supervision. So, the graduates of this major are considered to be the most appropriate ones for such a responsibility. Additionally, the presence of numerous laboratory courses in the undergraduate level has resulted in practical familiarity of the graduates of the field with food quality analysis and control tests. Consequently, they are capable of working as laboratory managers or experts in food factories.

Research Objectives
The areas of research is very extensive in food industry and as a result, students can pursue their studies in various sub-fields at the postgraduate level. Students of food technology sub-field are able to carry out their research in such areas as transforming agricultural, livestock and marine raw materials into products with high added value as well as storing and packaging them for storage in diverse conditions. They can also do their research in the field of dairy products, cereal and bakery products, meat products, sugar products, edible oils and canning and packaging industries. As the result, they can introduce new formulations and new materials and, accordingly, increase the added value of the products. The utilization of such new technologies as gamma waves, ultrasound, microwave waves, high pressure and ohmic processes in producing healthy food and reducing waste and energy consumption, is another research objectives of this field.

Operational Objectives
The operational objective of the discipline can be defined as educating and training skilled experts, using laboratory equipment for practical training of food decomposition test methods as well as having continuous communication with the food industry through regularly visiting food factories in order to familiarize the students with the production process of industrial production of healthy food during the academic year.